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| Capital | Nukuʻalofa | ||||
| Largest city | Nukuʻalofa | ||||
| Language official |
Tongan (official) | ||||
| others | English (official) | ||||
| King | King Tupou VI | ||||
| Prime Minister | Dr Feleti Sevele | ||||
| Area | 748 km² 289 sq mi km² | ||||
| Population | 112,000 | ||||
| Independence | 4 June 1970 | ||||
| Currency | Paʻanga (TOP) | ||||
Tonga officially the Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 171 islands, 48 of them inhabited, stretching over a distance of about 800 km (500 mi) in a north-south line. Tonga is the only sovereign monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, as well as being the only island nation never to have been formally colonized. First discovered by Captain Cook in 1773, the islands were under British protection from 1901 to its independence in 1970.
Since then Tonga has continued to follow an independent course through world-changing events. Doomsday had little more than a glancing impact on the islands. Tonga has never lost its indigenous governance or culture, a fact that makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and gives Tongans much pride and confidence in their monarchical system.
In recent years the economy has grown thanks to increased trade in the Pacific. The islands are used as a refueling stop for oceangoing vessels traveling between ANZ and South America, and as a tax haven. The level of income for Tongans is now approaching that of any developed nation, and is expected to become a fully developed country in the next ten years.
In 2008, the island nation hosted the talks to establish the League of Nations, and its capital was made its first headquarters. Despite being relatively remote, Tonga was chosen among other nations due to its central location, perceived neutrality, and the major role that the Tongan king and foreign ministry had played in organizing those talks. It was a sign of the centrality of the Pacific Ocean in the postwar world, located between the three major seats of power in Australia, South America, and Siberia. Much LoN activity would take place in the regional commissions being set up across the world, but Tonga hosted the League's central institutions for their first years of existence.
On March 21, 2009 an undersea volcano erupted off Tonga waters, creating a new island. The island has been named Amanaki - Tongan for "hope" - in honor of the new League of Nations headquartered at Tonga. 63 km away at the capital, King Siaosi Tupou V made the announcement, saying, "May the emergence of this new land be matched by the united efforts of the whole human race as we continue to lift ourselves out of the depths of our own violent past. And may Amanaki indeed be a symbol of hope for the whole world."
By 2010 it was already clear that Tonga could not serve as "the world's capital" any longer. Delegates from nations in Africa and western Asia in particular criticized the great difficulty of travel there, and the growth of the LoN specialized agencies was already putting a strain on the very small city of Nuku'alofa. In the middle of that year, the League relocated to Nouméa, New Caledonia, another Pacific island, but one larger and less remote. This was also understood as a temporary site.
King Siaosi Tupou V passed away on March 18th, 2012 in the Australian city of Brisbane, where he had been receiving medical treatment, following several months of battling leukemia. As the king's only daughter was born outside of marriage, his younger brother took the throne as Tupou VI.
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